Mayor Madeline Rogero came to welcome the groups from Chattanooga and Nashville to Knoxville and to commend all three teams for the work they’re doing to advance Complete Streets. We’ve worked with Mayor Rogero many times through Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, so we know she means it when she says she has a longstanding commitment to Complete Streets!
Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga have a long way to go to create complete networks that get people walking, biking, riding transit, and driving where they need to go safely and efficiently. Through our case studies, exercises, and discussions, we’ve learned a lot about the challenges these regions face. They still have a lot of ground to cover to address ill-maintained or entirely absent sidewalks and to overcome outdated planning processes and resistance to change from within and outside their departments of transportation. But we’re confident that these teams of Complete Streets champions have the skills and enthusiasm to make change happen!